The History of Kristiansand
The history of Kristiansand is quite fascinating for a city that is considered to be ‘new’ by Norwegian stands. Only founded in the 17th century, Kristiansand was established because of its strategic location on the tip of southern Norway on the Skaggerak strait – the important crossing from the North Sea into the Baltic Sea. However, even though the city is only around 400 years old, traces of settlement show that people have lived here for thousands of years.
Here is a summarised history of Kristiansand with a focus on places you can visit when you visit this lovely city.
The History of Kristiansand
Be sure to read my detailed travel guide for Kristiansand, including practical information and things to do.
Prehistoric Kristiansand
In recent years, there have been a number of important discoveries showing life in prehistoric Kristiansand. The most important find is the Søgne woman, the oldest human discovery in Norway. She was discovered in 1994 one metre below the surface in the neighbourhood of Søgne. The skeletal parts have been dated to 7910 – 7600 BC.
There has also been a discovery of a settlement from the Stone Age at the place Grauthelleren in the neighbourhood of Fidje, located on the south-east coast of Kristansand city centre. It is not possible to visit this site, though. Additional traces of settlement, including a round house and pit, were discovered under cultivated land in the 1970s. Uniquely, round houses are not common in Norway.
Oddernes & Settlement in the Middle Ages
The earliest traces of permanent settlement have been found in the neighbourhood of Oddernes to the north of current-day Kristiansand. Pits, houses and pottery have been found along with evidence of pagan worship.
The compact burial ground known as Klempegravene på Odderenes (not accessible) is one of southern Norway’s largest burial grounds in pre-Christian times.
An important testimony of a larger and organised society over more than 1,000 years is Oddernes Church, built in 1040. Inside the church’s armoury is a large runestone called the Oddernessteinen, which mentions Saint Olav. The fact that the church is built in stone symbolises wealth and status, meaning Oddernes must’ve been an important place. The stone originally stood outside the church but has since been moved inside.
Oddernes Church
Oddernes Church is the oldest building in Kristiansand. The first church to be located here may have been built by Øyvind, the godson of Olav the Holy. The middle part of the church is the oldest part and dates back to the 12th century. The church was expanded after the Reformation. In the churchyard, burial mounds indicate this was an important place back to 400AD, and there used to be a royal farm here.
It is possible to visit Oddernes Church. The church is located just off the E18 highway at this address: Jegersbergveien 2
Trade & Shipping Traffic in the 16th Century
The interest in southern Norway as a trade hub is thanks to the Dutch, who began to compete with the powerful German Hanseatic League in the 16th century. Therefore, the Dutch began trading in Mandal, close to Kristiansand, around 1450. Danish ships arrived around the same time to trade, while ships from Scotland came in 1520. For the Dutch, it was the timber trade that was most of interest, especially oak.
Before the Kiel Canal was constructed, the area around Kristiansand was of strategic importance because the naval base could control access to the Danish straits and Baltic Sea. Because of that, the Danes also established a military base here.
Establishment of Kristiansand under Christian IV
The eccentric but heavily influential King Christian IV visited the area around Kristiansand twice – in 1630 and 1635. He saw the flat plain by the sea being used for pastures and envisioned a city with large, wide streets in a grid pattern according to the Renaissance ideals of the time (called kvadraturen).
“Christiansand” (original spelling) was founded by King Christian IV on the 5th of July, humbly naming the city after himself. The town got its Renaissance grid plan, and merchants in the county of Agder were ordered to move to the town. In return, they would get trade privileges and ten years of tax exemption.
Kristiansand quickly became the southernmost major city in Norway.
Shortly after its founding, two new fortresses were built: Fredriksholm and Christiansholm.
Fredriksholm Fortress
Fredriksholm fortress was completed in 1662 and is named after the Danish King Fredrik III. The fortress closed in 184, though was partly restored in 1874. When Roald Amundsen was setting out on his expedition to the South Pole in 1910, the harbour here was the last stop in Norway before his departure. At the fortress, almost 100 Greenland dogs were waiting to come aboard the ‘Fram’ ship.
The remains of the fortress can be seen, but the fortress is out on an island and difficult to get to.
Christiansholm Fortress
Christiansholm Fortress was part of the plan for Kristiansand when Christian IV founded the city. Construction was completed in 1672, though many extensions were made after that. The facilities were mentioned at the same level as Akershus Fortress in Oslo and Bergenhus Fortress in Bergen. The fortress was closed in 1872. Today you can take a ferry to visit and there are regular cultural events held here.
As Kristiansand grew, it overtook other Norwegian cities for important things. For example, in 1682 the King moved the episcopal seat from Stavanger to Kristiansand.
The town experienced its first major fire in 1734, when 333 houses were destroyed.
Shipbuilding emerged as a major industry in Kristiansand throughout the 18th century.
Naopoleonic Wars
The Napoleonic Wars with the accompanying blockade and naval war caused an upswing in trade for Kristiansand, but with the declaration of war from England came years of emergency.
Denmark-Norway supported France and was therefore exposed to attacks from the British on Danish-Norwegian ship. The British liner HMS Spencer entered the Kristiansandsfjord on the 18th of September 1807 and were fired upon from Christiansholm fortress. The British captured the disused Fredriksholm fortress, which was blown up and destroyed.
The story of Terje Vigen is from this time. You can read the poem and some background into the poem by clicking here.
French troops were garrisoned in Kristiansand during the Napoleonic Wars, often in private homes. The rented quarters got the nickname Pose Byen (French town) and this neighbourhood still has that name.
In the early 19th century, Kristiansand was known to be a dangerous and lawless harbour town, but eventually a Pietist revival as a reaction to these conditions came.
Posebyen
Posebyen is the name of the charming neighbourhood in the eastern part of Kristiansand. The neighbourhood has one of the biggest collection of wooden houses in Norway.
19th Century Growth
Throughout the 19th century Kristiansand remained an important port of call for goods leaving Norway, and this created massive fortunes in the city.
In the 1830s, growth in Norwegian shipping was centered on Kristiansand. From the middle of the 19th century, Kristiansand and Arendal advanced to become the world’s leading shipping cities.
The ships sailed with timber and lumber ot England, carried grain to Russia, the United States and Canada, and carried cotton to the West Indies. Some even went as emigrant ships to the United States. However, towards the end of the 19th century, both cities held onto sailing ships for too long as steamships began to overtake trade. Because of that, the shipping industry began to dramatically decline. The largest shipping company in Norway in the 1890s was Stray, which had 70 sailing ships and 15 steamships.
An important event for the city was the establishment of Eg Sindssygeasyl in 1891, the second central psychiatric institution in Norway after Gaustad. The psychiatric hospital attracted highly trained doctors to the city and was a pioneering institution in Norwegian psychiatry. It also provided many jobs for women.
The last major fire in Kristiansand happened in 1892, when the southern half of Kvadraturen up to Rådhusgata was destroyed.
World War I and the Interwar Period
During World War I, Kristiansand was a neutral shipping town. The town grew thanks to this economic boost, and banks and trading houses were built.
However, during the Interwar Period there was a housing shortage after a strong population growth, and unemployment intensified social problems. Kristiansand became a centre for intellectuals. Bauhaus architect Thilo Schoder came here, escaping Hitler’s Germany in 1932. Arnulf Øverland was also a frequent guest of the city.
Thilo Schoder
Thilo Schoder was a famous Bauhaus architect from Germany. He escaped Hitler’s Germany in 1932 to come to Kristiansand. He was arrested by the Nazis in Kristiansand in May 1940 but survived the war by designing barracks for the Nazis. The long blocks of flats in Solbygg (pictured left) are architectural highlights of functionalism in Norway.
Arnulf Øverland
Arnulf Øverland was a Norwegian writer, poet, critic and advocate of the national language. He was the last person in Norway to be prosecuted for blasphemy, in 1933, after giving the lecture “Christianity – the tenth scourge of the land” in Oslo. He was also very critical of Nazism, and in 1936 wrote the poem “You Must Not Sleep”. It ends with: “I thought: Now something is happening. / Our time is over – Europe is burning». A well-known part from the poem reads: “You must not bear so heartily / the injustice that does not affect you!”
Øverland was one of the Norwegian delegates to the Hague Congress in 1948, which laid the foundations for the European Convention of Human Rights and the Council of Europe.
World War II
Kristiansand was attacked on the 9th of April 1940 by the Nazi naval forces. On board were approximately 1,100 landing troops. The fortress on Odderøya fell. German troops occupied the city. The Nazis built coastal fortifications and took over the military bases.
Postwar Period
During the reconstruction after the war, Lund was developed with unique houses in the Bauhaus style, designed by Thilo Schoder.
Lund in Kristiansand
Lund is a neighbourhood to the east of Kristiansand. Traces of people have been found back to the early Iron Age, through the Viking Age and up to the early Middle Ages in some places. There has been settlement here since the Stone Age. In the Viking Age, there was a nobleman’s farm here. The area has eventually been developed into a neighbourhood and now the University of Agder is located here.
In the 1980s, the city’s industry and business were down, and only two shipping companies were left in town. In the 1990s the engineering community began to emerge and develop companies for ship and offshore equipment, safety technology and well drilling.
Kristiansand also became one the country’s leading locations for telephone sales and call centres, with more than 1,000 employees in this industry.
Be sure to read my detailed travel guide for Kristiansand, including practical information and things to do.
